


Bright Lights

by DefaltManifesto



Series: Fixing the Broken [1]
Category: Pitch Perfect (2012)
Genre: Angst, Get together fic, M/M, Redemption
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-05
Updated: 2013-05-23
Packaged: 2017-12-04 08:38:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/708744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DefaltManifesto/pseuds/DefaltManifesto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It wasn't until he was left all alone with no one to help him that Bumper realized that maybe insulting everyone he knew on a regular basis wasn't the best way to go about living life. That doesn't mean he's going to start being nice or something. </p><p>But Benji is way nicer than he thought, and he's realizing that maybe it's time to fix everything he broke.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In the Big City

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write a story from Bumper's point of view. I think he's got a lot more going on in him than people realize, and there were some things I picked up on during the movie that made me want to write about what happened to him afterwards. 
> 
> I have no idea if this rating is going to be bumped up to Explicit. It might, but don't hold your breath. Also, please keep in mind that while I do plan on writing this story, it is not my main focus, and will probably be updated once a month, or once every two months. 
> 
> On the flip side, it will probably only be 5 chapters long, so you won't have to wait very long for it to be finished. Every chapter following this one will probably be longer, just as a heads up. Thank you so much for reading! You can follow my tumblr at schizzar.tumblr.com for fic updates.

Bumper had never in a million years claimed to be a genius. In fact, if he were entirely honest, he knew he had absolutely nothing to offer the world except his ability to write pretty decent arrangements, sing, and to a very small extent, dance. All talents that were easy to come by and made him far from a special snowflake. The moment someone with a little bit more talent came by, his gig with John Mayer was gone, despite the fact that he had been there for two years. Which left him staring at apartment ads for anywhere in his price range.

It was a pitifully small range. He flipped the page over in the newspaper, gnawing the edge of his pen. Maybe some higher power felt bad for shafting him so harshly, because on the next page was an ad, a nearly perfect solution to all his problems.

_Looking for one person to share a flat in Downtown L.A. Willing to pay first month's rent. Email at MagicMasterBenji@email.com._

Under that was a price in the middle of his range. Bumper circled the ad in bright red marker and grabbed his laptop.

 

-.-

 

The guy, Benji, insisted on meeting him first, setting a time the very next day to meet at one of the ten thousand Starbucks nearby. Bumper had scanned the newspaper for more possibilities, but he was practically at the end of his rope. He was being evicted in one more week, and if he didn't find a new place, he'd have to slink back to his parents with his tail between his legs.

If they'd even _have_ him back.

He ordered his coffee and then sat near the back of the café where his potential roommate had told him to wait. Like all socially awkward people waiting for someone in public, he pulled out his phone and began checking his Facebook. Surprisingly, most of the Treblenotes had cut off contact with him when he had left. Sure he had been a bit of a dick, but he didn't think it warranted such a cold shoulder. Every once and awhile he still saw Fat Amy in his newsfeed, but mostly it was douchebags from high school, and a few work contacts who were dropping him even faster than he thought they would.

"Oh this is awkward."

Bumper jumped at the voice, and when he looked up, recoiled again. "Oh God, the freak. Jesus Christ, my luck is shit."

He remembered Benji now that he was sitting in all his awkward glory across from him. His hair was still obnoxiously curly, and he was still as eager as a puppy. It was mildly revolting.

"I thought you were still in college," Bumper said after a moment.

"Decided to start up a business out here instead," Benji said, smile still firmly in place.

"That's great. I'm going to leave now. You may be my last chance but nope. I am not sinking that low," Bumper said with a firm shake of his head.

"You really don't like me, do you?" Benji asked. He was still smiling but it seemed a bit bitter.

Bumper got to his feet. "Nope. You're still a freak. Why you _still_ like me blows my mind. Desperate, man. Desperate." He patted the other's shoulder and began to head for the door.

"If anyone's desperate right now, it's you. Might want to accept the one friendly hand being offered," Benji said.

Bumper paused, hand tightening on his frappe. "I'm way above you."

"And yet who's offering a place to stay for a month free?"

The words kept him rooted to the same spot as he mulled them over. Slowly, he spun around on his heel to face Benji once more. "If I stay a month and hate it, can I bounce? No consequences?" It was blatant manipulation of Benji's hero worship for him, and while he did feel a tiny bit of remorse, he didn't spare it too much thought.

Benji gave him an even smaller smile. "Yeah. It's alright."

"Sweet. When do I move in?"

 

-.-

 

Benji showed up at his apartment the next morning armed with an old cob-webby dolly to stack his boxes of clothes and kitchen utensils on. He was overly energetic as they stacked boxes and headed for the elevator, chattering almost non-stop at breakneck speed.

"I mean, I was going into business at Barden, but I just couldn't wait you know? So I came out here and started it all up. My parents loaned me some money but it's been so successful, I already paid them back. They're really excited and-"

"Benji, I don't _care_ ," Bumper said with a groan as the elevator doors opened on the ground floor. "You're all brilliant and successful, stop rubbing it in my face, you twat."

He could almost _feel_ Benji's enthusiasm leak out of him as they headed for the car had parked outside at a meter. Benji's car was the standard mini-van people were embarrassed to have but since it was their parent's old car and they got it for free they couldn't complain.

"I'm sorry," Bumper said. "That was harsh."

"No you're not," Benji said as he opened the trunk. The words didn't seem hurt at all, but he didn't look at Bumper when he grabbed one of the boxes. "Don't try and pretend you're nicer than you are." He looked up at Bumper. "Grab a box. I'm not packing them all."  
           

Bumper obeyed without bitching, shoving a box in beside the one Benji had already put in. Benji handed him another one when he turned around, but didn't fully release it so Bumper was stuck facing him.

"I wasn't trying to rub it in your face, Bumper. I just...got really excited and wanted to share. I'm sorry," he said. He offered a smile and released the box before reaching for another. Once the boxes were properly packed away, they headed back towards the elevator.

"Why are you doing this?" The question was out of Bumper's mouth before he could think it through properly.

Benji hit the 8th floor button and shrugged. "I don't see why I shouldn't. You need a place to stay. I can help."

"I treated you like shit." The doors slid open and they headed down the hall for Bumper's apartment. Well, it hadn't been so bad. Just a view harsh words. Nothing anyone couldn't get over or anything, but it was still surprising.

Benji shrugged again as they headed inside. "So did everyone in my high school. Really, it's no big deal."

Something twisted in Bumper but he didn't reply, opting instead to just stack more boxes on the dolly.  Hopefully Benji wouldn't say anything to make him any more uncomfortable. Either way, it was just a month, less than if he could land himself a job. Then he could ditch the nerd and put Benji's miserable existence behind him.

 

-.-

 

Benji's apartment was surprisingly normal. From what Jesse had said, he assumed the whole apartment would be decked out as Darth Fucking Vader's palace. But it was average; small kitchen area directly connected to the living room that doubled as the dining room. His room was right next to Benji's down the hall, and was entirely empty outside the bed with its bare mattress and dresser.

"Why'd your old roommate ditch?" Bumper asked as he set the last of the boxes down in his room. When he glanced at Benji, the younger was leaning against the doorframe.

"She moved to New York City," Benji said. He offered a somewhat strained smile. "I swear, I'm not hard to live with, and I'll try not to let my weirdness bug you too much."  
           

"Wait, _she?_ "

A short, tired sounding laugh burst past Benji's lips. "Just because you're repulsed by me doesn't mean everyone else in the world is. I do have friends. Had friends at Barden too. You-" He turned around, cutting himself off. "Is there anything else or should I just leave you to it?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Bye. Thanks." Bumper stepped further into the room and shut the door before Benji could say anything else that made him feel uncomfortable.

He glanced around the bare room for a while, wishing for a moment that someone would help him unpack, like his family had when he first moved out to L.A. There was Benji, but he didn't count. He was weird and nice. Weirdly nice. It made Bumper want to punch him.

When he had moved into this first apartment, his parents had made sure hew as settled in and everything was perfect. Now he was staring at the empty room completely alone. The reality of his situation finally began to sink in.

And he didn't like the way it felt.

 

-.-

 

When he emerged from his room, Benji was bent over a collection of scattered papers at the dining table, a calculator to his left. He headed for the fridge to investigate what they had to eat.

"Whatcha doing nerd?" Bumper asked. The fridge was stocked with mostly vegetables and fruits. Gross.

"Working out my budget for the next month now that I have a freeloader in my apartment," Benji said. The words didn't seem hostile, in fact sounding as if he were only half paying attention.

"So not a freeloader. You offered." He shut the fridge and opened the freezer instead. "Oh thank baby Jesus, you have unhealthy frozen food."

"I was joking Bumper. And of course I have unhealthy food, I'm a poor college drop out and it's cheap," Benji said. "Help yourself by the way. If I can skip out a bit next month, you won't need to buy food this month."

"Uh, it's cool. I can buy my own food if you let me sneak a corn dog now," Bumper said. He took out the blue box and turned back to face the other.

Benji had an unreadable expression on his face as he turned around to face Bumper. "Hey, I'm not an idiot. When your sportswear line got moved to your parents' full ownership, it was all over the local newspapers back at Barden. No need to pretend you're rolling in cash now."

Something cold settled low in Bumper's gut and he turned to shove the box back into the freezer. "I'm going to go buy my own food. I'll be back."

"Bumper!"

Bumper shut the door behind him and jammed his hands into his jacket pockets as he headed for the elevator. Benji's tone had been dripping with pity and there was only so far Bumper was willing to let himself fall. He was pretty sure he had the funds to buy food. Last he had checked he had a solid three hundred in his account, which was honestly impressive given the situation.

It stung a bit to know his dirty laundry was being aired back on campus. Then again, the people at Barden were like gossipy old women in a knitting club. From what Benji had said though, they didn't seem to know about the part where his parents seized all the profits he had made from the sandal line, leaving him with barely enough to last a week. Yeah, no one needed to know that part.

He reached a crowded crosswalk, glancing around as he waited. On the corner was a small shop, painted a loud combination of orange and red. His nose crinkled. It was a sore sight for the eyes. The sign above the violently red door spelled out the words _Applebaum's Magic Emporium,_ and under that, in a less offensive black color, it said, _where magic and illusions confound the mind._

It took a moment for his mind to put it together, but finally he got it. Benji said he owned a business. Benji's last name was Applebaum. He was standing in front of Benji's business. The walk sign turned on and the crowd began to move, but Bumper found himself walking towards the obnoxious building and slipping inside instead.

The inside was much more professional looking than the outside. The store had shelves along the walls, the space in the center was cleared except for a large table. There were a few people milling by the shelves, and past the table was the register counter. A woman sat behind it, her brown hair swept back into a messy ponytail, and in one hand she twiddled a pen. She looked up as he approached, shutting the textbook she had been bent over.

"Hey, welcome to Applebaum's Magic Emporium. Can I help you with anything?"

"Wow you seem way too happy for a girl working in nerd central," he said.

Her smile turned into a frown, the expression immediately made him regret opening his mouth. "If you're not interested, you don't need to stay."

"Whoa, no, sorry," Bumper said, waving his hands quickly. "Just words sometimes come out of my mouth when I'm not thinking clearly."

"Or at all," she said with a small smile returning to her face.

"Now see, that's just cruel. I try to apologize and you just shoot me down," Bumper said with a slow shake of his head.

"Just payback is all," she said, leaning forward on the counter. "So I take it you're not too big on magic tricks, are you?"

"I actually think it's really freaking weird, I just happen to know the guy that owns the place," Bumper said.

The woman perked up. "Oh, you know Benji? He's a real sweetie isn't he?"

Bumper raised an eyebrow. "Not the word I would use. So who are you?"

"Oh, my name's Jo," she said, holding her hand out. "And I would be quite happy to show you a few tricks to convince you that magic illusions are not just _weird_."

"Are you using a really bad pick up line on me?" he asked.

She gave a short laugh. "No. I don't even know your name. I just really like wowing people with things when they least expect it."

"My name's Bumper. Does that improve my chances?" he asked as he finally shook her hand.

"Learn a trick or two and maybe I'll consider it," she said with a laugh. "So do you try and pick up all of Benji's friends often or am I special?"

"Can I just get a do over and we both pretend that never happened?" he asked with a strained smile.

"Oh no, you're never living it down." Jo leaned back in her chair, shoving her pen through the base of her ponytail and folding her arms across her chest. "Learn a card trick. Then I'll let you take m on a date."

"So what, I have to be sufficiently nerdy or something?" he asked.

"Hey, I never said you _have_ to," she said. "But yeah, basically."

"I sing and dance, isn't that enough?" he asked.

Jo sputtered out a laugh, hand flying to cover her mouth. "Oh that I have to see sometime. Maybe if you give me a performance I'll give you a chance."

"That can be arranged if you ask nicely enough," he said.

"Uh huh," she said. "So how do you know Benji?"

"We went to school together before he uh, moved out here I guess," Bumper said.

"Oh." Jo's expression closed down and she leaned back, arms folding over her chest. "So you're _that_ Bumper. I was hoping that maybe it was just an odd coincidence of nicknames."

"What?" Bumper asked, eyebrows raising.

Her dark green eyes gave him a scathing glare. "Oh like you don't know. You were such a jerk to him. He talked about you all the time you know, when he first came out here and we started putting this business together. You nearly crushed him!"   There was a light cough from behind them, and both of their gazes shifted to one of the customers hovering at one of the shelves. Jo gave a quiet sigh and raked one of her hands through her hair. "Look, how about you leave before I get really angry and accidentally scare off the customers."

"I literally have no idea what you're talking about," Bumper said. "Benji was just this weird kid I knew-"

"Leave," Jo said, one hand slapping down on the counter before curling into a fist. "Please."

"Jeeze, alright, I'm going," Bumper said, holding his hands up defensively. He wasted no further time leaving the building and heading back out into the streets, feet leading him towards his original destination.

As he collected a basket full of junk food to live on during his month with Benji, he thought over what she had said. He barely _knew_ Benji, outside their first meeting, and the few harsh words he had aimed at him when he had shown up at Treblemakers' meetings with Jesse. It hadn't been much at all. The guy would have to have a pretty thin skin to be that affected by what he said.

It wasn't like he was that mean or anything.

Benji had to have known that.

He carried the plastic bag of food back to the apartment, still thinking. There was no way what he had said had affected Benji that deeply. The kid was a big, oblivious nerd. Bumper wasn't even sure he had registered the fact that he was insulting the younger back then, and sure, _now_ he knew Benji wasn't stupid enough to ignore insults, but still, he had to have known Bumper didn't mean any real harm by it, right?

When he ate his dinner of instant microwavable macaroni and cheese, he loaded up his Facebook page, scrolling through his friends. The number was embarrassingly small. At some point, he had gotten left behind. Was it because everyone had thought he was serious? Had everyone thought that he didn't like them? Sure he was mean, sure he was _better_ than them, but they had to know that. It wasn't like they could get mad at him for just being honest.

Sometimes he had been joking. Most times. But other times he hadn't hesitated to give people a quick slap with reality. Maybe he had been too harsh. Maybe he hadn't considered the way other people felt. He shook his head, shutting his laptop and carrying his dishes to the sink. It was only after he had set them out on the dish rack to dry that he realized that he was entirely alone in the apartment, and for the first time in a long time, he couldn't think of a single person to talk to. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so this story is definitely not being bumped up to explicit, though there will be some romance happening and some heavy petting if that's why you're sticking around. I hope you guys like this chapter. As of right now, I've bumped this up to having 5 chapters. It might go down to 4, we'll see.

Here's [my tumblr if you want](http://schizzar.tumblr.com).

 

The following morning found Benji and Bumper sitting at the table over a shared meal of cereal, neither willing to broach the topic of their tense conversation of the night before. As Bumper flipped another page in the newspaper over to check for possible job offerings, Benji cleared his throat, spoon clinking down in his empty bowl.

Bumper cringed, but didn't look up.

"Jesse and Beca are flying in this afternoon," Benji said. "They're going to stay here for a few days."

Bumper looked up. "The hot chick and the really good singer, right?"

Benji rubbed at the back of his neck as a sigh blew past his lips. "I guess that's an accurate description. I'm not going to kick you out of your room or anything but if you could try and be nice, that'd be great. I haven't seen them in awhile and-"

"Hey I was never a dick to Jesse," Bumper said.

"Yeah, you just ditched them last minute as they were getting prepared for the Finals," Benji said, his tone dry and full of sarcasm, something Bumper didn't think the younger was even capable of.

"Can't be blamed for that, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity," Bumper said, pointing his spoon at Benji before turning his attention back to the newspaper.

"I'm just saying, and warning you," Benji said. He got to his feet and headed over to the sink. "Because I don't want you to be surprised or think I'm a bad roommate or something."

The sink turned on, but other than that, it was blessed silence for a few minutes as Benji cleaned up. The water stopped and Bumper could hear Benji's hands slap against the counter followed by a soft sight. He frowned. That couldn't be a good sign.

"So I hear you met Jo yesterday," Benji said.

"Uh." Bumper couldn't think of anything else he could possibly say. He couldn't tell if Benji was angry with him or not either, which was also just as frustrating.

"She was rude to you, and I apologize for her behavior."

Bumper let the newspaper fall out of his hands and turned in his seat to face Benji, who still had his back to the older, shoulders bunched up. "What?"

"She shouldn't have said the things she did. You didn't need to hear any of that," Benji continued. "It was really unprofessional, and I'm sorry you had to deal with it."

"No, man, it's cool." Bumper said. "I guess I deserved it, if what she said was true. Not that it was...or anything."

A short, tired laugh from the younger made Bumper wince. "Oh, she was pretty spot on, from what she told me. But it still isn't something you needed to hear."

Bumper didn't like how the words made his gut twist on itself. "I...I'm sorry."

"I don't think that means what you think it does, Bumper. You say you're sorry, but I know you're not. It's not in your nature to be sorry."

"Oh, and suddenly you know me so well?" Bumper scoffed. "You can't even look at me."

"It's hard to look at the person you looked up to when they hate you so much," Benji shot back. He pushed away from the sink and headed for the door, grabbing his coat draped over the couch. "I have to go to work. I'll see you tonight. Try and find a job, I guess."

"Benji-"

The door slammed in his face. For a moment, Bumper stared at it, processing what it felt like to have the dorm slammed in _his_ face for the first time. It was a new feeling. And he didn't like it that much. He certainly didn't want it to happen again.

 

-.-

 

After work, Bumper headed back to the apartment. He had gotten a text half way through his shift that Benji had already picked Jesse and Beca up. He could hear the laughter from outside the door, could hear it die away when he fit his key in the lock and opened the door. He pretended it didn't make his chest ache. Once the door was shut behind him and his key tucked back into his pocket, Bumper looked up towards the dining table. Benji was in a seat facing him, and Beca and Jesse both twisted to follow his gaze.

"Hey man," Jesse said. He had a smile on his face, but it didn't quite outshine the hard look in Beca's eyes. "Come sit down, catch up."

"Uh, I'm pretty tired," Bumper said. "I can just leave you guys to it."

His eyes met Benji's for a half second but then he turned away and headed for the hallway.

"Wait. Bumper. You should come sit. We're playing Sorry and no one's playing red which I know is your favorite color," Benji said, the words coming out in a breathless rush.

Beca snorted. "Really Benji?"

Bumper turned, eyebrows raised. "Wow, nerd. Didn't think you could get any weirder. I am impressed." When he slid into the seat between Beca and Benji, he realized the latter was flushed bright red.

"Hey, bro, here's your pieces," Jesse said, holding out the four red pieces.

"Thanks." Bumper set up his pieces. He glanced between the three of them. "So how's Barden been?"

"Good. Me and Donnie are heading up the Treblemakers," Jesse said. "Gonna kick the Barden Bellas' butts next year."

"Mmhm, keep dreaming," Beca said. As she spoke, she knocked one of Jesse's green pieces back to start and replaced it with her yellow one.

"Barden Bellas won last year, didn't they?" Bumper asked.

"Yeah," Beca said. "Barely. The scores were pretty close."

"So you guys pulled it together after I left," Bumper said, eyebrow rising when he looked across the table at Jesse.

Jesse glanced over at Benji. "Well, he did. We would've been lost without him. He's really good at arrangements you know. And his choreography is fantastic. He did a solo too, everyone loved it."

Bumper's gaze slid over to Benji, who was as bright as the red pieces sitting on the board. "You did?"

"Uh, yeah. When you left...they needed someone," Benji said with a shrug. "Your turn."

"Uh huh," Bumper said. He grabbed one of the cards and flipped it over, moving his piece the right amount. "Don't remember you being that good."

"Never really gave me a shot," Benji said. He didn't seem bothered, but that might have been because the card he had drawn allowed him to knock Bumper back to start. "But that's okay. I'm out here now, and what I'm doing now is a lot better."

"Yeah, you opened up that shop, didn't you?" Jesse asked. "Can I see it later?"

Benji laughed a bit. "I mean, if you want. You've never really been into the magic stuff before, so I-"

"Hey, after a year living with you, I will admit some of it is interesting. Plus it's your business dude. I can't _not_ see it while I'm here," Jesse said.

Bumper wasn't quite sure what possessed him to open his mouth, but once he did, the words were out before he could think them through. "It's great. I saw it the other day. He's done a really good job and he's good with finances and stuff, I think. It's gonna be great. He's smart." The table went silent, three pairs of eyes staring at him. Bumper coughed into his fist, then poked at the deck. "Your turn, Jesse."

Jesse shook his head and grabbed a card. "Right, yeah."

The game progressed for another half hour or so, jokes being exchanged at a rate that was slightly less awkward than everything had been when Bumper first walked in. Before long though, Jesse and Beca retired to Benji's room with identical complaints about jet lag, leaving Benji and Bumper to eat dinner together.

Bumper had his own side of the freezer for his food, and it was a bit awkward, shifting around each other and making their separate meals as quiet as possible so Jesse and Beca could sleep. He was still trying to process what Jesse and Beca had said about Benji, little, nerdy _Benji_ , actually putting together a decent enough set to get them second place in the Finals. If it had been him, they would've taken first, but still, second was...impressive. At least for people other than Bumper.

"You know, you didn't have to say all that," Benji said quietly as they sat down with their food.

"But I did," Bumper said. He stared at his food, wondering what exactly it was that made him want to give back to Benji as much as the younger had given him. It might've been guilt, it might've been something else. "Because I don't think any of the guys in the Treblemakers could've pulled off any rank, let alone second. So."

"Thank you." The words were soft, and when Bumper glanced across the table at him, there was an unreadable look on Benji's normally expressive face.

They didn't exchange any more words. Bumper didn't know what to say.

 

-.-

 

The next morning, Benji wasn't able to get away from the shop, something to do with a small mishap that had set fire to a quarter of the merchandise. Thankfully, nothing else had burned, and it wasn't going to be a huge problem, but Benji was still in a panic, and after much begging and pleading, he convinced Bumper to escort Jesse and Beca around the city.

Needless to say, it wasn't the most enjoyable experience of any of their lives.

"So you're telling me you've been out here this long and you don't know what the DJ scene is like?" Beca asked.

She and Jesse were holding hands and being disgustingly cute together, taking pictures at any slightly recognizable location, which made holding a conversation rather difficult. Now they were stopped at a crosswalk across the street from where Bumper was taking them for lunch, allowing actual words to be exchanged.  

"I mean, I was kind of doing my job and I don't really care about the DJ scene anyways," Bumper said. He was going to try and have patience, because Benji had asked nicely and for some reason he didn't want to add to the poor guy's misery by pissing his friends off. It was harder than he thought it would be.

"Yeah, I hear that fell through pretty fast," Beca said.

 Jesse nudged her. "Come on, Beca."

"I'm just saying. You don't even realize how nice Benji is being to you after you spent so long destroying his confidence," she said. "He doesn't owe you anything, he should've just left you to find some place else."

Bumper wanted to be angry. He wanted to call her out on her shit, and tell her she was wrong, that he hadn't known what he was doing, but that wasn't right. Because it was the truth. He had made life awful for Benji, even if he hadn't realized it at the time.

"Yeah well he's doing great now, so I guess it'll be fine," he said, tone neutral.

"How about we not fight," Jesse interrupted when Beca opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm cool with that. Besides, it's lunch time. One does not fight when there is food," Bumper said, pointing a stern finger at them both as he opened the door to one of his favorite diners.

Jesse went through first, Beca close at his heels.

"I know I messed up Beca," he said as she walked past.

"Well then make it right."

That would have been a great idea, if he even knew where to start.

The end of the day found that swinging by Benji's shop to walk back home with him. He looked stressed, eyes a bit bloodshot, curls in a mess, and Bumper could see his hands shaking.

"Did you eat today?" he asked.

"Oh." Benji stopped walking, a frown forming on his face as the other three turned to look at him. "No, I think I forgot."

Bumper's eyebrows rose. "Okay, let's get you home before you pass out on the sidewalk, 'kay big guy?" He clapped Benji on the shoulder, only to reach a hand out and press it against the younger's chest to keep him upright when he stumbled.

"Might be a good idea," Benji said. He glanced at Jesse and Beca. "Sorry about all this, guys. I know this isn't exactly what you wanted when you came all the way out here."

"It's cool," Jesse said. "Are we going to be able to see the shop tomorrow?"

"Sure, if you don't mind the smell of burnt rubber we're still trying to air out," Benji said with a twisted smile.

When they arrived at the apartment building, Jesse and Beca hovered back.

"We're actually going to go out to eat," Beca said when Benji and Bumper turned to look at them. "I mean, you've been great company Bumper, but we don't want to keep Benji up. We'll be back later though."

"Here," Bumper said, palming his pocket and pulling out his key. "You can use that to get back in."

Beca lifted an eyebrow in surprise, leaning into Jesse when he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Thanks."

Bumper pretended he hadn't heard her. They parted ways and Bumper helped Benji to the elevator. Now that they were out of the L.A. air, he could smell the somewhat singed scent Benji carried with him, and he wrinkled his nose. Benji shot him a wry smile from across the elevator.

"Yeah, imagine smelling it all day," he said.

They made their way down the hall and Benji handed his key over so that Bumper could open the door. Bumper shut and locked it behind them, then guided Benji to sit down on the couch. The taller flopped back, eyes closing as Bumper continued on to the kitchen.

"If you go shower and manage to not fall asleep, I'll have weird healthy crap for you to eat when you get back out here," Bumper called over his shoulder.

The noise that left Benji was somewhere between discontentment and delight. "I don't wanna move but I like the idea of someone actually making me food for once so much."

"Then get up."

"Hnngh." Despite the protesting noises, Benji hauled himself to his feet and shuffled down to the bathroom.

Something about it was endearing and made Bumper's lips crook up into a smile. His first instinct was to wipe it away, but then he stopped. He was actually getting along with Benji, and sure the guy was nerdy and weird, but he was nice, and had been nice to Bumper when no one else would be, so what was wrong with enjoying his company and doing something in return?  
           

He knew why he had a problem with it, deep down, somewhere. But he didn't really want to think about that, not when he was smiling. No sense in ruining that.

Bumper didn't have a clue of how to make a salad. He knew it should be easy in principal, but for a kid who had literally only ate out or microwaved something, figuring out how things like lettuce and carrots worked was too much. In the end he had something that looked somewhat edible that he could set in front of a much cleaner smelling Benji.

Benji stared down at Bumper's poor attempt, shaking his head. "Well, you did try."

"Yeah," Bumper said, sitting down across from him.

"Thank you," Benji said. He shot him a quick smile and then stabbed the salad with his fork.

Bumper shifted in his seat. Benji stared at him for a moment longer and then dug into his food, a strangely comfortable silence stretching between them. He had long gotten used to walking everywhere in L.A., but dragging along Jesse and Beca all day had been tiring in its own way. His eyes were beginning to drift close as he sat, but then Benji's voice broke him out of it.

"Why is that you get so weird when I say thank you?" Benji asked. "You were like that at Barden too, or at least that's what Jesse said. I mean, he also said you didn't do too much that made people thankful, but still."

"Uhh." Bumper shrugged. "I just don't...like being thanked. It's weird, especially from you. I don't exactly deserve it."

"You did something nice, of course you deserve it," Benji said with a frown.

"No, I don't," Bumper said, getting to his feet. "Look, just drop it, okay? I don't want to get angry or something stupid like that."

"I didn't realize it was such a touchy subject," Benji said as he held his hands up in a pacifying gesture. "I'm sorry."

"Jesus, don't apologize Benji," Bumper said. "Seriously, I already don't deserve everything you've done for me so please, just don't make it any worse than it already is."

"Okay, but I still appreciate everything you've done for me. You are human, Bumper. So you messed up and messed _me_ up for awhile. So what? I forgave you, and you're clearly not just some douchebag who doesn't care about people," Benji said. "Maybe you need to see what I've been seeing."

"You're delusional," Bumper said, unable to keep the venom out of his voice. "No one else agrees with you. People think I'm a dick, because I am. You're the only one that won't accept that I'm just an awful person."

"Because you aren't," Benji said. "Maybe you've convinced everyone else that you are, but you haven't convinced me."

Bumper met Benji's angry gaze, only to drop it a moment later. It wasn't the hot anger Bumper was used to seeing in other people's eyes, anger tinged with hate. The look Benji was giving him was a different type. There was disappointment, and that he was used to, but there was something under it that he couldn't identify, because he couldn't recall ever seeing it. So instead of asking, instead of facing whatever it was, he headed to his room and slammed the door behind him. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rating has gone down because smut just wouldn't really FIT in this story. I do have a short, one shot sequel planned that will have some smutty bits in it if you're willing to wait though. Thanks for reading! I know this was a really bizarre pairing to try and work with so any and all feedback is appreciated. 
> 
> If you're interested, I will be putting this into a series so you can subscribe so you won't miss the sequel. I'm not quite sure when it will be up yet. Thanks for the support guys!

The next morning, Bumper was the first one up. His conversation with Benji the night before still made his gut twist uncomfortably tight, and while one part of him, the old stubborn part, wanted to push it aside, another part of him knew he couldn't. Bumper wasn't used to poking at the things that made him feel like shit, but at least he had cooked up a nice, unhealthy Toaster Strudel to contemplate his life over.

Of course, just as he was settling in, Beca emerged from her room, dressed in one of Jesse's shirts and a pair of gym shorts. Her hair was a tangled mess and she was still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She didn't even notice Bumper until she was sitting in front of him with her bowl of cereal.

"Oh. Morning."

"Yeah, morning," Bumper said. He glanced back at her, surprised at how quickly her gaze went from sleepy to sharp.

"I talked to Benji last night. Apparently you think you're a horrible person," she said.

"Anyone ever tell you you're really blunt?" he asked.

"Anyone ever tell you you're really good at deflecting questions?" Beca shot him a grin and he couldn't help but smile back.

"It's a skill," Bumper said. "But you _probably_ hate me the most, so I'm not sure why you care if I agree with your assessment."

"Because I know you can change. I did," Beca said.

"You changed?" Bumper frowned. "I mean, I figured if Jesse liked you, you were fine."

"Well see, I had this problem." Beca spooned some cereal into her mouth before continuing. "I pushed people away when they got close. Kind of what you're doing with Benji. Why do you do that?"

"You tell me, if you were the same way," Bumper said.

Beca gave him a bitter tinged smile and pushed her cereal around in its bowl. "When my parents divorced and left, I worried people I got close to would do the same. But I learned that isn't true. I have a lot more friends now than I did before. People who won't betray me. You can find a similar friend in Benji."

"It's not that easy," Bumper said.

"It is," Beca said. "You can change. You'll both be happier for it."

Bumper shook his head. "He says he forgives me but...he can't. I..."

"No one's beyond forgiveness," Beca said. She held up her bowl slurped the milk down before giving him a quick smile and heading back to her shared room.

"Hey it's cool, I can get your dishes," he called sarcastically.

"Thanks!"

He shook his head and ignored the smile on his face. When he finished his pastry, he took the dishes back to the sink and began to wash them. He started when there was a loud yawn from the living room ten feet away. Bumper's eyes closed and a heavy sigh blew past his lips.

"Did you hear all of that?" Bumper asked as he grabbed a towel and began to dry the dishes.

"Yup," Benji said. He got up and headed over to stand beside Bumper. "Do you want...to uh talk about it?"

"I don't know where I'd start," Bumper said. He put the dishes on the rack and turned to look at Benji. "I don't know how to forgive myself let alone make friends. I don't have friends. I never have."

"I want to be your friend, Bumper. I've been trying to be your friend even though you're being really difficult about it," Benji said as he leaned his hip against the counter. "Why is that?"

Bumper's gaze slid over to stare at the wall. "I..." He knew why. He didn't want to say it out loud though, because saying it would be acknowledging that it was all true. He couldn't deny it once he said it out loud. "I don't know how to be around people when they aren't using me for something. This friendship thing without having to give anything up of real value doesn't make sense to me."

"Just because your parents only saw you as monetary commodity doesn't mean that's how the rest of the world sees you," Benji said quietly. "But I know that's going to take you awhile to actually accept."

Bumper wanted to blow Benji's words away as the other man just being a sap, but he knew it was just a defense mechanism. It was a bad habit and he'd have to break it if he was going to move forward in his life. "I don't want to be on my own anymore."

"And you don't have to be. I've got your back," Benji said. He gave a small smile when Bumper looked back up at him. "Now I'm going to go get around. Beca and Jesse are leaving tonight. After that though, we really need to have a long talk."

"I'm okay with that," Bumper said, surprised he actually meant it.

"Cool beans." Benji's smile grew wider and he leaned forward to kiss Bumper on the cheek before leaving the room.

For a moment, Bumper stared after him a bit confused. Benji was clearly an affectionate type of person so it wasn't that odd, he just wasn't used to having Benji's attention focused on him. He shook his head and shook the thoughts away with it.

 

-.-

 

For lunch, Benji, Beca, and Jesse dragged Bumper out of work during his lunch break to one of the small delis on the block.

"Can't just leave without a goodbye feast after all," Jesse said as an excuse.

"Yeah, well this feast will still have to be over in a half hour," Bumper said.

"You and your adult responsibilities," Jesse said with an exaggerated sigh.

"Nah, you guys are just slackers," Bumper said.

The waitress came to take their order before Jesse or Beca could retort. Bumper was actually surprised at how well the meal went. It was as if his conversation with Beca and Benji had diffused the last bits of tension that had existed between them. The amount of contentment he felt almost made him uneasy he was so unused to it, but he decided to for once shove the unease and the snark away and enjoy the company of the first people he could actually start to call friends. Still, there was a level of guilt beneath it all. He could only hope it would fade away.

"Hate to run out on you, but I've got five minutes to get back to work," Bumper said, reaching to pull out his wallet and drop a twenty on the table. "Go ahead and pay for my bit and whatever else with that."

As he got up from the table, Beca popped up and wrapped her arms around him tight. His eyebrows raised in surprise but he hugged her back.

"Don't reject the people trying to help you and forgive you," Beca said quietly in his ear.

Before he could reply though, she was stepping back and Jesse had swept him up in a bear hug that had Bumper's feet off the ground. Bumper thumped a fist into Jesse's back.

"Alright, that's enough big guy," Bumper said, flailing until Jesse released him.

"Yeah, yeah, right," Jesse said. He had a wide grin on his face when he released him. "You take care of yourself. Next time we're out here, you better be rich and famous with a penthouse. Both of you."

"I'll see what I can do," Bumper said. "And uh, good luck to both of you."

"Thanks Bumper. We'll keep you posted," Beca said.

"Thank you." Bumper met her gaze, and he knew she realized hew as thanking her for more than just staying in contact. He gave them both smiles and a quick nod to Benji and then headed out.

 

-.-

 

Bumper swung by the cheap Chinese take away place on his way to Benji's store. He had texted the other saying he'd be getting food that night so Benji wouldn't get anything himself. When he walked into the store though, he was greeted with Jo's unimpressed stare. He headed up to the front desk, setting the bags of food on the counter as he leaned across it.

"You can't hate me, I brought food," he said, pushing the bag towards her. He had bought an extra box after all. Food as a peace offering had never failed before.

She peeked inside the bag and pulled a box out. "You drive a hard bargain. Benji's not even here though so you're wasting you're time."           

"Yeah well, you see I'm trying this new thing where I actually apologize to the people I treated like crap. And you know, mean it," Bumper said. "You were right. I was in the wrong and I'm trying to do what I can to make it up to Benji."

"That's a long ass journey for you," Jo said. "You hurt him a lot you know." She dug through the bag some more until she had a pair of chopsticks to start eating.

"I know," Bumper said. "I don't even know where to start but I'll try."

"Apologies are always a good place to start," she said around a mouthful of food. "And I mean, you're bringing him dinner so you've got that going for you too."

"I guess you got a point," Bumper said. "But I want to ask you something before I go talk with Benji. And I know you're the least likely to sugar coat it."

"That's the truth," she said, pointing at him with the chopsticks.

"He said that he thought I hated him. Does he really think that?" Bumper asked.

Jo nodded. "Yeah. He was practically in love with you and you were the one to inspire him to try so hard for success."

"That's another thing," Bumper said. "He kissed me on the cheek. I mean, I'm down with affectionate guys, I do choreographed man singing. But is he just being...over excited or does he you know, like me?"

"I honestly don't know," Jo said. "I know he's got no interest in me."

"You tried to go out with him?" Bumper asked.

"For a little while. He didn't even notice," Jo said with a small laugh. "But I love him like a brother now. Are you into him?"

"I...don't do relationships," Bumper said.

"Then if he does like you, don't you dare lead him on or I will stab my chopsticks through your eyes," Jo said with a smile.

"Yeah, I'd rather not give you an excuse to do that," Bumper said, smiling back with a strained stretch of his lips. "But I need to head back and fix some more of the stuff I broke."

"People and relationships don't fix easy. Good luck," Jo said. "And thanks for dinner."

Bumper gave her a short nod in response. He knew, theoretically, what his response should be, he knew the words to say but he couldn't get them out. Jo didn't seem offended though.

The walk back to the apartment was quick but even so, the food was beginning to cool. Benji was still in the shower though, so it gave Bumper time to reheat it all and get the table set. When Benji got out, his curls were some what tamed by the shower and he sat down with a smile on his face.

"Trying to make me go easy on you with food. Nice tactic," Benji said. "But thanks."

Benji looked up into Bumper's eyes, almost like he was challenging Bumper to blow it off. For a moment, Bumper wanted to. He ducked his head and stuffed a piece of orange chicken in his mouth, and once he was done chewing, he glanced back up.

"You're welcome."

Benji fucking _beamed_ at Bumper's words and the happiness was so infectious that he smiled back.

"Improvement," Benji said.

"Yeah, yeah," Bumper said. "So what are we talking about?"

"Why you can't accept my friendship. Why you don't think you're worth anything if you aren't making other people money or happy. I want to be your friend but I can't if I don't understand you," Benji said. "And I really want to be your friend."

"Goes both ways you know," Bumper said. "I barely know anything about you. The little things you know?"

"Wasn't aware you wanted to know," Benji said honestly. "Question for a question?"

Bumper snorted. "Jesus, are we in high school? Kidding. Sounds like a good idea."

"You shouldn't be nervous," Benji said.

"I'm not nervous," Bumper said.

"Your leg is twitching under the table and you talk faster when you're nervous," Benji said. "But you shouldn't be because I won't judge you for anything you say. You gotta know what about me at least."

"Yeah." That he knew quite well. "So where do we start?"

"You can ask first," Benji said. "I mean I'm pretty much an open book."

"Do you like girls?" It was the first question that popped into his mind, and he only slightly regretted it when he saw how red Benji got in response.

"Uh, no. Not really. Is that a problem?" Benji asked.

"Wait, is that your question?" Bumper asked.

Benji kicked him under the table. "No, it isn't you ass."

"It's not a problem," Bumper said. "So what question are you going to slam me with?"

Benji took another bite of food. "What's stopping you from forgiving yourself?"

Bumper hesitated to answer, fighting down his gut reaction to the question. He wanted to be honest. Benji deserved his honesty. "I don't think I deserve it after...what I made you feel."

"You do. Just because you messed up doesn't mean you aren't worth anything. And I'll keep saying that as long as I have to," Benji said. "But your turn for now."

"Why did you kiss me this morning?"

Somehow, Benji managed to get even redder. "I was just really excited and that tends to make me act impulsively. Sorry if I uhm...made you uncomfortable."

"No, it's fine," Bumper said, surprised at how his answer actually was honest. "So if you were-"

"Ah, ah," Benji interrupted, nudging him under the table again. "My turn. Have your parents ever told you that they loved you?"

Bumper froze, taken by surprise before setting the chopsticks to the side. "They...no. They never did." There was a sharp ache in his chest from having to admit it out loud, and a growing lump in his throat. "Never."

He ran a hand through his hair and stared down at the table, rubbing the same hand over his forehead. The other was stretched out beside his food, and he was surprised when Benji reached out to cover his hand with his own. His first instinct, as always, was to jerk away and close up on himself, cover it all with a sharp comment, but he didn't. After all, he had opened up and for once he hadn't been shunned and shoved away.

"I'm sorry, Bumper. I know you don't want to hear pity from anyone, and I swear that's not what this is. I'm just sorry that you were never appreciated," Benji said quietly. "Because everyone deserves a little bit of love."

Bumper nodded down at the table. "Yeah. You're right."

When he looked up, Benji was smiling at him. "Nice to actually hear that from you for once."

"Yeah?" Bumper grabbed his water and took a deep swallow to get some of his composure back. "My turn right?"

"Yup," Benji said, rubbing his thumb over the back of Bumper's hand.

"Alright, so what do your parents think about you coming out here?"

"They're actually really excited. They thought I was being stupid at first, I mean...back when I first got into magic and all," Benji said. "But once they saw I was serious they were behind me." He released Bumper's hand long enough to take another bite of food, but then his hand was back and though it was hard to admit, it was comforting. "So. Have you ever seen yourself as worth anything more than money to those around you?"

"You really don't hold back on the questions, do you?" Bumper asked.

Benji gave a small smile. "Not really no. But you know I'm not judging. I've proven that."

"That's true," Bumper said. He twisted his hand around to twine his fingers with Benji's. It was weird to be affectionate with someone, but as he thought about it, Benji was the closest he had ever gotten with someone. "I don't...my parents taught me that the only value I do have is monetary. When I stopped making them money...that's when they dropped me."

Benji released his hand and moved around the table to stand in front of him. Bumper looked up at him in confusion.

"What are you-"

Benji's hand grabbed his jaw and suddenly there were lips on his. Bumper blinked in surprise but before he could think of anything to say or do, Benji had already pulled back, though his hand was still on Bumper's jaw. "You are worth so much more than what your parents say."

"And on that note, I've got one more question," Bumper said. His heart was in his throat and his stomach felt like it had tied itself in knots. "Are you attracted me?"

"Yeah," Benji said with a small smile on his lips. "Is it mutual?"

"I...think so," Bumper said. "Not sure. You should try again."

Benji pressed his lips to Bumper's once more. It was awkward. Benji's lips were chapped, and tasted of Chinese food, and in any other situation Bumper would've pulled away, but for some reason it wasn't _bad._ Bumper leaned up a bit more, and Benji moved with it, pulling him up until he was standing. Benji was a lot taller than he was, which admittedly wasn't that hard of a thing to do, and Bumper actually _liked_ the thought of having someone taller leaning down to kiss him.

It wasn't deep, and he could feel the apprehension in every line of Benji's body. Bumper let his eyes close and set his hands on either side of Benji's skinny hips. He wasn't used to kissing a guy. He had a few times during college, but it had never been anyone he actually liked. This was different. He actually liked this. It was weird acknowledging that he wanted someone, and it was weird having that someone be Benji.

"Do you know now?" Benji asked, pulling back and looking down at him nervously.

"Yeah, I think so," Bumper said. "But relationships, man. I don't know if...I can do that."

"Friends first," Benji said. He rubbed his hands up and down Bumper's arms, the smile never leaving his face. "That's okay with me. So what do you wanna do?"

"Finish eating. And then try that...being friends thing," Bumper said. "What do friends even do?"

Benji laughed as he pulled away. "I don't know. We could try a movie."

"Are you going to make me watch super nerdy movies?" Bumper asked.

"Of course," Benji said.

That didn't seem was bad as it would have a few weeks ago.

 

-.-

 

Bumper managed to scrape together enough money to pay the first month's rent despite Benji's insistence that he didn't need to. He spent his evenings in Benji's and sometimes Jo's company watching movies and catching up on all of the nerdy shows that they both liked to watch.

Slowly, Bumper began to reconnect with those he shut down and treated badly. Namely Donald. He missed the guy, and he was the closest thing to a friend he had before Benji and the others. They made plans for him to come out before summer ended. Bumper signed the lease to say he would be there for at least another year, which meant he was entitled to all guest privileges.

He still wasn't sure what to do about his relationship with Benji though. They had become friends easily enough, though every once in awhile Bumper would shove Benji away when he felt like he was getting too close. Sometimes, it felt like Benji was painfully prying out every insecurity he was hiding away, but he always ended up feeling better for it. Benji didn't let him run and didn't ridicule him for the anger he sometimes felt when he confronted the things inside him that were so painful. It was terrifying being so close to someone and being able to tell them so much.

Terrifying and refreshing.

"Grab me the carrots, yeah?" Benji asked.

Bumper slid past him to open up the fridge, passing them over to him before heading back to the oven. They were having over Benji's employees, three in total, for dinner. Which meant, of course, that Benji would be cooking his healthy food.

"You and your carrots," he said. "Though at least the baked mac and cheese is good." As he spoke, he shoved the pan of food into the oven and closed it with his heel. "Were you a chef in a past life?"

Benji chuckled as he began to chop the carrots. "No, but my dad used to be. He's retired now."

"That explains it," Bumper said with an eye roll.

"Hey you love it when I cook," Benji said.

"True." Without thinking, Bumper popped up on his toes to kiss Benji's cheek from behind.

When he rocked back down onto his heels, Benji turned to face him, thankfully after he set the knife down. Their eyes met for a moment and Bumper's lips quirked up to the left.

"Sorry. It just felt-"

"Normal, right?" Benji asked, the eager puppy look in his eyes.

"Yeah," Bumper said. He reached up and pulled Benji down for a kiss.

Unlike the first one they shared, Bumper wasn't hampered by his insecurity and nervousness. He took control of the kiss, getting a deep taste and smiling against Benji's lips when the taller's hands came down to sit on his hips. Benji tasted like a mix of carrots and a flavor that was distinctly Benji, delicious and wonderful. He gave a surprised moan when Benji's hips bumped up against his. He knew he was attracted to Benji but hadn't had much of a chance to really realize just how much. Benji's tongue slid over his and ran over his gums before he sucked Bumper's lower lip in between his.

A knock at the door made them start apart, nervous laughs escaping them both.

"Gonna get that?" Benji asked.

"I guess I should but I wouldn't mind another kiss," Bumper said.

"Yeah? Well if you don't go answer that door now I don't think I'll ever let you get the chance to let our guests in," Benji said, his cheeks flushing as he ducked his head once more.

"Damn player, didn't realize you had it in you to say shit like that," Bumper said, grinning up at him.

"Yeah well you bring out something new in me," Benji said as he looked at him again. "You have a habit of doing that."

"You have a habit of doing the same to me," Bumper said. He kissed Benji once more before there was another knock on the door. "Guess I'm gonna go get that now."

Benji stole another kiss and then shoved him away lightly, though his hand trailed down Bumper's arm to play with the tips of Bumper's fingers. "I'm glad you're here Bumper. I'm glad you stayed."

"I'm glad I stayed too. Thank you."

Benji's smile was practically beaming. "You're welcome."

            


End file.
